Saturday, September 24, 2016

Pope tells journalists: do not let your words be used as a weapon

Journalists must not foment fear when covering issues or events such
as forced migration due to war or famine, Pope Francis has said.

While criticism and exposing wrongdoing is “legitimate and, I would
add, necessary”, reporters must never let their words become “a weapon
of destruction” against people or nations, he told representatives of
Italy’s national association of journalists.

About 400 people attended
the audience in the Apostolic Palace.

Despite the major shifts in how news is produced and distributed,
journalists who follow professional standards “remain the mainstay, a
fundamental element for the vitality of a free and pluralist society,”
the Pope said.

Journalists have a great responsibility in writing what is in some
ways “the first draft of history,” in deciding what news goes out, he
said, and, “this is very important,” in spreading an interpretation of
events to people.

Being honest, respectful and professional is especially crucial for
journalists because “their voice can reach everyone, and this is a very
powerful weapon,” he said.

If a person is unjustly slandered, “he can be destroyed forever,” the
Pope said. Criticism is certainly legitimate and needed, for example,
when “denouncing wrongdoing, but this must always be done respecting
others, their life and loved ones.”

All journalists must be honest with themselves and others, he said,
even though with today’s 24/7 news cycle “it is not always easy to get
to the truth or at least come close to it.”

“Life is not all black and white,” he said, and journalists need to be able to distinguish and discuss the grey areas.

“Political debates and even many conflicts are rarely the result of
distinctly clear dynamics that tell unequivocally who is wrong and who
is right,” Pope Francis said. “Discussion and sometimes disputes stem,
deep down, precisely from that difficulty in synthesising different
positions.”

That is why journalism must seek the difficult and necessary task of
getting as close to the truth as possible and to never say or write
anything one knows in good conscience is not true, he said.

Professionalism in journalism requires not succumbing to special
interests, be they political or economic. Truth and fostering a healthy
democracy entail not just addressing the legitimate concerns of one
segment of society, but having the well-being of the whole polity at
heart.

Instead of fanning the flames of division, he said, journalists
should foster a culture of encounter and hope, reminding people “that
there is no conflict that cannot be resolved by men and women of
goodwill.”

The Pope said he hoped journalism would be a tool that builds, a
player in contributing to the common good and a facilitator in the
process of reconciliation.

The association’s president, Enzo Iacopino, gave Pope Francis a
volume of writings by a young Italian reporter who was killed by the
Camorra in 1985 at the age of 26 as he investigated the criminal
organisation in Naples.

Reporting at the service of the truth can be very dangerous, he said,
and sometimes requires round-the-clock police protection or great
sacrifices in family life.

Iacopino also pointed out the problem of extremely low pay for some
reporters, particularly freelancers, who would consider a month’s pay of
$600 “a mirage”.